As we mark the 2018 international day International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation we need to accelerate efforts of raising awareness and encourage concrete actions to stop the harmful practice.

Mũkoma wa Ngũgi explores a redefinition of what ‘icon’ means in the African context, the unearthing of names that are all too often forgotten, the invisibility of female icons in our historical narratives, and the nature and role of the diaspora in our cultural, political and economic production

A sellout is someone who betrays his own principles and his followers for personal venality. Where is the evidence that South Africa's Mandela betrayed himself and deceived his countrymen for self-gain?

Nigerian businessman and impresario Paul Okoye organised one of the most impressive showcase of African and Afrobeats talent in the inaugural One Africa Music Fest at the Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York City.

We all enjoy sex but we don’t really talk about it – one reason that the topic of sextech is so emotionally charged. Artificial intelligence has boldly entered the global (and, more recently, the African) sex market, bringing with it a revolution in robotic sextech designed to provide sexual gratification that is eerily almost human.

The impression that Intimate partner violence (IPV) only occurs in heterosexual relationships where the man is stereotypically the aggressor is a false and dated idea. Lesbian women can, in fact, be perpetrators and victims of this form of violence.

Taking a drug normally prescribed to treat AIDS as a way to shield against the deadly disease; known as PrEP; is catching on, and proponents hope that it will soon have a measurable impact in reducing the number of infections.

The Lives of Great Men a memoir by Frankie Edozien is Nigeria’s first book about LGBTQ Life. Edozien, a lecturer at the New York University captured the lives of gay men on the continent and the challenges they face. Edozien is the first Nigerian to write a nonfiction book on being a gay man.

Despite the work being done to raise awareness in society about sex workers as people worthy of respect, they are often still treated as lepers. Why is it that we only seem capable of an empathetic response once older women enter the ‘world’s oldest profession’? asks Lineo Segoete

African feminist activists should be the reference point from which we hear about girls’ educations across the continent. Three activists from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia discuss strategies that they have implemented to promote girls’ and young women’s education in their respective countries.

A sellout is someone who betrays his own principles and his followers for personal venality. Where is the evidence that South Africa's Mandela betrayed himself and deceived his countrymen for self-gain?

The definition of democracy on the continent has been restricted to holding elections. Many African leaders forget that protests and online dissent is very much part of democracy. Elections are just a part of democracy, and democracy entails a full spectrum of economic, social and political freedoms, which include citizens' rights to protest and express their voices and concern.

Funerals honour the life of the deceased. Nigeria’s elaborate and expensive funerals are rooted in history and are not unique to that country. But, says Cosmic Yoruba, the high costs and expectations surrounding these events can place a strain on the wallet and the emotions

Our liberation icons remain important – warts and all. They do not need to fade from our continental consciousness of liberation struggle history, nor from the struggles that are continually faced in contemporary times.

Zimbabweans have been celebrating Robert Mugabe's demise but the new administration could fail to bring change. The opposition and civic groups urgently need to regroup and intensify the fight for reforms in the electoral, media and security sectors to ensure holistic change.

Mũkoma wa Ngũgi explores a redefinition of what ‘icon’ means in the African context, the unearthing of names that are all too often forgotten, the invisibility of female icons in our historical narratives, and the nature and role of the diaspora in our cultural, political and economic production

UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee has one of those CVs that will blow you away. Sneak a peek at his Twitter bio and you will see what we are talking about. Ex Indian Special Forces. Ex Red Cross. Princeton alumnus. And a presiding don of the opinion pages at Huffington Post and Reuters. We’re sure you see what we are talking about. He’s a man worth paying attention to. We’re glad he recently spared a few minutes to sit down for an interview with Dr Diana Wangari who brings us the scoop.

Good career advice is hard to come by. Fortunately for all of us, Dr Jacqueline M. Applegate, the subject of a new interview on This Is Africa has it in spades. “In order to excel in your career, my advice is to be 100% committed to figuring out how to make your dreams a reality. Take the cards you’ve been dealt, play your hand well, and enjoy the journey!”

The Arterial Network recently launched an ambitious programme that aims to create social change through cultural action and cultural policy in four African cities. Sophia Olivia Sanan spoke to five of the organisation’s members to find out more.

The African continent is going through a political renaissance unlike any we have seen in some time. Zimbabwe recently had a coup, which was not really a coup. Kenya has two emergent leaders claiming power, South Africa's Jacob Zuma has fallen and now Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has resigned.

Zimbabwe has lost a hero with the passing of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai (65), a colossal, brave and charismatic leader who tirelessly fought for democracy. Save, as Tsvangirai was affectionately known was undoubtedly the most effective opposition leader in Zimbabwe since independence. Tsvangirai dedicated his life to fighting autocracy. We share with you 10 of his profound quotes.

Jacob Zuma has finally announced his resignation as the State President of South Africa, after weeks of negotiations and boisterous calls for his stepping down. Reactions so far show the country is not at all sad to see him leave.

South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has welcomed President Jacob Zuma's resignation as President of the country. The ANC saluted President Zuma’s “outstanding contribution” in the last nine years he served as President and his role in the party spanning over sixty years. Here is the full statement of the ANC following President Zuma’s resignation.

The National Portrait Gallery unveiled the official presidential likenesses of former US president Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in a ceremony that was markedly different from those that went before

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma yesterday resigned as President of the country. "I have come to the decision to resign with immediate effect,” he said addressing the media following his recall by the African National Congress (ANC)’s NEC. Here is the full statement of President Zuma's letter of resignation.

FESPACO: Celebrating Pan-African Film and Television Festival

By
Fred Obera on March 30, 2017 — Today we bring you the highlights of the recently concluded Pan-African Film and Television Festivals held biennially in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. This year there were over 1000 applicants with great films from the continent featured in one of the biggest festivals on the continent.

The adventure of four traders, from Senegal to Nigeria, a seven-day journey to cross five African countries. With ‘Borders’, Apolline Traoré ‘- Frontières’, conquered the public and the juries of Fespaco 2017,and scooped major special prizes. Photo: FESPACO

Since 1969, ThePan-African Film and Television Festival (known by its French acronym FESPACO) has been offering African film professionals the chance to establish working relationships, exchange ideas, and to promote their work.

FESPACO’s aim is to “contribute to the expansion and development of African cinema as means of expression, education and awareness-raising”. It has also worked to establish a market for African films and industry professionals. Since FESPACO’s founding, the festival has attracted attendees from across the continent and beyond.

African filmmakers have always celebrated one of Africa’s premier film festivals, held biennially at the the African Film Library of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, where the organization has its headquarter. 200 films were screened this year, competing for the Golden Stallion, the highest award granted at FESPACO. The festival was held under the theme “Training and trades in Film and Audiovisual”.

The Golden Stallion award

According to FESPACO, The Yennenga Stallion is the symbol of supreme consecration for the cinematographic production of the official selection. It is represented by a woman warrior, perched on the back of a reared up horse, holding a spear. This trophy derives its meaning from the founding myth of the empire of the Mossés, the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso.

The African Storm – a film by Beninese director Sylvestre Amoussou, won this year’s FESPACO Golden Stallion award. The film tells the story of an African president who runs the country like his personal property with help from a cynical Western imperialist, it captivates how corruption, civil war, and the country’s ties with former colonial powers.

Frontières by Apolline Traoré (Burkina Faso)

Apolline won the the Golden Stallion statue with her film Frontiéres, the film is about three women who meet by chance while traveling by bus on the Dakar-Bamako-Cotonou route via Ouagadougou to Lagos. The journey is gruesome as they meet bandits in the wilderness following the breakdown of their car.

Felicit’e’ by Alain Gomis from Senegal’e

The ‘Felicit’e’ by Alain Gomis from Senegal was crowned as the the winner of the Golden Stallion. The film recently scooped the Silver Bear at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. In this film, the protagonist, Félicité, sings in a bar in Kinshasa to fund her 14-year-old son’s treatment after a motorcycle accident. She continues singing despite the horrific life that her son is going through following the tragic accident. The film is a captivating and painful narrative.

The Wedding Ring by Rahmatou Keïta (Zin’naariya!) (Niger)

Niger’s Rahmatou Keïta has been making films for more than 25 years, but The Wedding Ring is only her second feature film. In The Wedding Ring, a young woman has returned to her home in Niger after completing her degree abroad. She is dealing with the pain of a lost love when a spiritual adviser convinces her that she needs a wedding ring.